Knicks links: Rivalry with Nets set to launch at Nassau Coliseum

Rich Barnes/US PRESSWIRECarmelo Anthony and Knicks coach Mike Woodson want to be the best in the NBA, but first they have to be the best in their own city.

It won't be at Barclays Center or the newly
renovated Madison Square Garden, but there will still be something on the line
when the Knicks and Nets meet at Nassau Coliseum tonight.

If the word "pride" popped into your head, then you
clearly aren't familiar with preseason basketball. Rather, the new-look Knicks
and new-look Nets are battling for the hearts and minds (read: dollars) of the tri-state's fickle
basketball fans.

Yes, there are still throngs of Knicks loyalists in
and around the five boroughs, but we all know nearly as many fair-weather NBA
fans who are sitting back and waiting for one of New York City's two teams to
spark something.

These are desperate times for billionaires James
Dolan and Mikhail Prokhorov. Both have invested billions in their teams and
it's too early to turn off any prospective fans.

Should Deron Williams' delicate passing or Joe
Johnson's ruthless scoring ability impress Long Islanders, perhaps the Nets can
continue siphoning off customers who would otherwise be buying Knicks
merchandise this time of year.

But maybe the Knicks can reclaim some of the fans
they lost through years of Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas, Eddy Curry, Stephon
Marbury as well as the rise and departure of Jeremy Lin.

For more, here's NJ.com's aggregation of Knicks news
from around the web:

• NJ.com's
Tony Williams has noticed a particular pattern in the 11th annual
GM survey: "Of the more striking opinions, 67.7 percent of
the executives picked the Celtics to run away with the Atlantic Division, with
the Nets and Knicks tying for second (13.3 percent)... Carmelo Anthony wasn't
even in the top five for 'Players that Make Opposing Coaches to Make the Most
Adjustments.' Naturally, James was the top-rated player, since the 6-foot-9,
260-pounder can essentially play all five positions."

• Wednesday night might be a clear picture for the Knicks, wrote NBCNewYork.com's
Josh Alper: "The Knicks, meanwhile, stroll into Wednesday night
with several ailing players on their ancient roster, including Amar'e
Stoudemire and J.R. Smith. As a result of the injuries and the rather
haphazardly put together roster, no one's quite sure who is starting where and
what the rotations will look like to start the season... It might not get any
clearer as the season progresses, either. With a bunch of old players, the
Knicks are likely to be constantly changing their rotations around Carmelo
Anthony and Tyson Chandler based on who is available on a given night and
that's no recipe for success."

• Of course, as
Howard Beck of The New York Times
reminds us, the real rivalry will begin on opening night: "The real start to the rivalry — whatever form it takes — will come
eight nights later, on Nov. 1, when the Knicks and the Nets open the regular
season at Barclays Center. Knicks fans are vowing to take over the Nets' new
home, just as they did for years in East Rutherford and Newark. Nets fans are
scoffing at the notion."

• As
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News
reported, the Knicks will be shorthanded tonight: "Mike Woodson
announced on Tuesday that Amar'e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby and Rasheed
Wallace won't be available for the game. Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler,
Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd are all expected to play, but their minutes will
be limited as the countdown toward the start of the 2012-13 season is
officially underway."

• Prices continue
to soar for the opener, wrote
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com: "The current average price for the Knicks-Nets
battle at the Barclays Center on Nov. 1 is $819.89, up 21.39% from the price on
Oct. 1 ($675.31), according to TiqIQ, a website that tracks ticket prices on
secondary markets."

• Mike Kurylo of
KnickerBlogger.com gave his preview of the team: "Here's my thinking: New
York concentrated on the defensive end, and that'll hurt them on offense. Sure
Landry Fields will be gone, as will Jeffries, Douglas, and Bibby who were all
mediocre to horrendous on offense. But it's not like they went out to get some
great scorers. Felton had a ts% of 49.1 which was worse than Fields' 50.6%. And
Raymon averages nearly 3 more shots per 36 minutes, which means from a shooting
perspective he's a bigger drag on the offense. Brewer, the guy we collectively
penciled in as the starting SG, shot a 50.5% ts%."